Nasal cannulae

ABSTRACT

Nasal cannulae are formed of two flexible narine tubes which are permanently bent near their outlet ends and fixed together at the bends in a cross-over arrangement that creates a nares entrance unit without use of a bridge member or similar tube holding means. Such nasal cannulae are extremely light and inconspicuous providing maximum comfort during use for administration of oxygen or other gas into the nares of a person.

United States Patent [191 Jackson et a].

[ 51 Apr. 10, 1973 NASAL CANNULAE [75] Inventors: Isaac S. Jackson, HookRoad, Greenwich; David S. Sheridan, RFD No. 3, Argyle, both of NY. 12809[73] Assignee: said Jackson to said Sheridan [22] Filed: Dec. 14, 1971[21] Appl. No.: 207,930

52 U.S.Cl. ..l28/206 s1 Int.Cl. ..A61m 15/08 [58] FieldofSearch..128/206,207,l4ON,

128/348, 350, I98, 199, 200, I85, 250, 342, 142.3, 145.5; 138/111, 112,I13, 114, 115,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,735,432 2/1956 Hudson128/206 X 2,931,358 4/1960 Sheridan 128/206 3,400,714 9/ 1968 Sheridan128/206 3,643,660 2/ 1972 Hudson l 28/ 206 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 79 l ,798 l2/ I 935 France 128/206 98,119 2/1940 Sweden128/ I98 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-Lee S.Cohen Attorney-Solon B. Kemon et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT Nasal cannulae are formed of two flexible narine tubeswhich are permanently bent near their outlet ends and fixed together atthe bends in a cross-over arrangement that creates a nares entrance unitwithout use of a bridge member or similar tube holding means. Such nasalcannulae are extremely light and inconspicuous providing maximum comfortduring use for administration of oxygen or other gas into the nares of aper- 4 Chins, 6 Drawing Figures NASAL CANNULAE BACKGROUND OF THElNVENTlON 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to nasalcannulae to be used in administering oxygen or other gases to personsvia their nostrils. More particularly, it concerns nasal cannulae madeof plastic materials that are light, inconspicuous, and inherently formfitting.

2. Description of the Prior Art Certain ailments of people, e.g., lungemphysema, may require inhaling of oxygen by the afflicted person overextended periods of time. Also, there are numerous occasions wherebed-ridden patients in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. require extendedadministration of oxygen or other gases to sustain the patientsbreathing or for some other medical purpose. Various methods andapparatus are available to accomplish such gas administration. In orderto mitigate discomfort of the person receiving gas administration overlong periods, there has been extensive development of socalled nasalcannulae, e.g., see U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,499,650; 2,663,297 and 2,735,432.Such devices are not only used with bed'ridden cases, but alsoambulatory cases, e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,712.

In the nasal cannulae, there is some means to direct a stream of gasinto the nares of the person requiring gas. This may be merely two holesin a section of tubing, but usually such means comprises a pair of tubesor nozzles that project into the nares. Such tubes may be of preformedshape or may include metal inserts, etc. to provide a desired shape,e.g., see U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,693,800 and 3,513,844. Frequently, the nasalcannula includes a bridge member to hold the narine tubes apart fornares insertion and the arrangement of the narine tubes and the bridgemember may permit adjustment of tube spacing, etc., e.g., see U.S. Pat.Nos. 2,931,358 and 3,172,407. Such cannulae may include other featuresto improve patient comfort or effectiveness of the device such as flaredends of the narine tubes to modify gas flow, e.g., see U.S. Pat. No.3,400,714.

In spite of the numerous developments in nasal cannulae such as thosedescribed above and others, further improvements in these devices areneeded. Since existing nasal cannulae tend to be heavy and relativelyunyielding to facial shapes and movements, they become annoying to thewearer when used over any extended period of time. Also, their bulkmakes then conspicuous and this adds to the annoyance of the user.Hence, a need exists for nasal cannulae that will be fully effective forthe administration of gas to persons while being extremely light inweight, form fitting, inconspicuous and relatively highly comfortable.

OBJECTS A principle object of this invention is the provision ofimproved forms of nasal cannulae. Further objects in clude the provisionof:

l. Nasal cannulae which are inconspicuous when upon the face of a user,comfortable and inherently form fitting.

2. Nasal cannulae that do not require a separate nares bridge member orequivalent member.

3. Such nasal cannulae that are extremely light in weight because theyinvolve a minimum of parts.

4. Nasal cannulae that can be made so inexpensively they may be treatedas disposable, single-user items.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the presentinvention will become apparent from the de-tailed description givenhereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, isgiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Itshould also be understood the foregoing abstract of the disclosure isfor the purpose of providing a non-legal brief statement to serve as asearching-scanning tool for scientists, engineers and researchers and isnot intended to limit the scope of the invention as disclosed herein noris it intended it should be used in interpreting or in any way limitingthe scope or fair meaning of the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing objects are accomplishedaccording to the present invention, in part, by forming nasal cannulaefrom a pair of narine tubes made of flexible plastic material with thetubes near the outlet end fixed in a cross-over arrangement so that thetube which would project into the left nostril of a user will passacross the right side of the face of the user and, conversely, the tubewhich will project into the right nostril of the user will pass acrossthe left portion of the face of the user. Such an arrangement can beattained by creating a permanent bend in each tube about 2 cm. from theoutlet end, the bend in the tube being sufficient so that the portion ofthe tube between the bend and the outlet end forms an angle of about orless with the longitudinal axis of the tube. The narines tubes are fixedtogether in the region of said permanent bend, preferably by encirclingthe tubes at this point with a small ring of plastic and cementing thetubes to such ring.

The inlet end of the tubes will be joined for fluid flow to a tubingconnector. Preferably, the tubing connector will be formed, such as byinjection molding, from rigid plastic to include a male connector on oneend and a pair of tubing sockets at the other end into which the inletends of the two flexible narine tubes are cemented. The only othercomponent of the new nasal cannulae is a small plastic ring or sleeveslidably encircling the pair of narines tubes so that it may be moved toany desired position between the tubing connector and the cross-overportion of the narine tubes. Consequently, the new nasal cannulae areformed of a minimum of parts so as to be extremely light and relativelyinconspicuous when positioned on the head of a user.

Success of the present invention is due, in part, to the discovery thata cross-over arrangement as described above provides a positioning ofthe nostril projection portions of a nasal cannulae which is inherentlyform fitting. This is accomplished without the use of a bridge member orsimilar holder which has been employed in prior known devices forobtaining the necessary position in the narines tubes for satisfactoryprojection into the nares of a user. In contrast to such prior devicesinvolving bridge members, the cross-over arrangement of the narine tubesof the new nasal cannulae have an inherent form fitting feature which isrelatively yielding to facial shapes and movements of different users.This permits the wearer to talk, eat, smile and make other facialmovements without annoyance and without substantial disturbance to theappearance of the wearer. The flexibility of the assembly of the newcannulae allow them to conform without any annoying pressure points uponthe face or nares region of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A more complete understanding of theimproved nasal cannulae of the invention and of their method of use maybe had by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational front view of a nasal cannulae of the inventionpositioned upon the face ofa wearer.

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view comparable to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partially broken away, of one of the new nasalcannulae shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view, partially broken away, of the cannulae of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the outlet end portionof the cannulae of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the portion of the cannulae shownin FIG. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the nasal cannulae 2 comprises apair of narine tubes 4 and 6, a tubing connector 8 and a ring slide 10.

The outlet end 12 of tube 4 has a smoothly rounded periphery 14 thatdefines a plane that intersects the bore of the tube 4 at an angle. Theoutlet end 16 of tube 6 similarly has a smoothly rounded periphery 18which also intersects the bore of the tube at an angle. However, it ispossible, if desired, to have the peripheries l4 and 18 of the tubes 4and 6, respectively, square with the bore of the tubes.

A permanent bend is formed in each of the narine tubes 4 and 6 about twocm. from their outlet ends 12 and 16 respectively. Although the tubes 4and 6 are formed of relatively flexible plastic material so that thetubes can normally be flexed to conform to desired shapes, the tubes dohave a tendency to remain in a relatively straight longitudinallyextended position. A bend 20 in tube 4 and similar bend 22 in tube 6,however, can be relatively permanently formed in the tubes such as bymanipulation of the tube while it is heated in that portion in which thebend is desired, by application of solvent or in other ways known tothose skilled in the art of fabrication of flexible plastic tubing. Theportion 28 of tube 6 beyond bend 22 is longer than portion 26 of tube 4by the diameter of tube 4 so that when the tubes are crossed (see FIG.5) the outlet ends 12 and 16 will be even.

Tubes 4 and 6 are fixed together at the bends 20 and 22 in some suitablemanner, such as by cementing, solvent welding or the like. Preferably, anarrow ring of plastic material 24 will encircle the tubes 4 and 6 atthe bends 20 and 22 respectively and this plastic ring will be cementedto the tubes 4 and 6 at this point. The only fixed part of the assemblyis at the cross-over points of the tubes 4 and 6 where they and the ring24 are joined together. As a result, movement of tubes 4 and 6 about thecross-over point and the outlet end portions 12 and 16 is possible. Thisallows the tubes 4 and 6 and the portions 26 and 28 respectively, whichin use project into the nostrils of a wearer, to readily conform to thenares of the user and to the shape of the wearers face. Consequently,the new nasal cannulae can move substantially unrestrictedly with theface and head movements of the wearer. The cross-over arrangement of thetubes 4 and 6 as described has an inherent form fitting feature due tothe fact that the only fixed part of the assembly is where the tubescross at the ring 24.

It will be apparent in the embodiment of the invention in which theperipheries l4 and 18 of the tubes 4 and 6 form an acute angle with thebores of the tubes, there is a right and left hand arrangement betweenthe tubes 4 and 6. Thus, when the new nasal cannulae is positioned uponthe face of the wearer 30, the slanted periphery 14 of the tube 4 willextend inwardly relative to the nares of the wearer 30 (see FIG. 5). Thetubing portion 26 of the tube 4 will project into the right nostril ofthe wearer 30 while the portion of the tube 4 which is distal of thering 24 will pass across the left side of the face of the wearer.Similarly, the slanted periphery 18 of tubing 6 will face inwardlyrelative to the nares with portion 28 projecting into the left nostrilof the wearer while the adjacent section of tube 6 distal of the ring 24will pass across the right portion of the face of the wearer.

Referring to FIG. 4, the tube portion 26 extends outwardly at an acuteangle, e.g., between about 20-85, relative to tubes 4 and 6. The portion28 of the other tube 6 also extends outwardly at a similar angle.Preferred results are obtained when this angle is between 35 and 45.

As can be seen from the FIGS. 1 and 2, new nasal cannulae of theinvention can fit close under the nares of a user and the portions oftubes 4 and 6 which pass across the face of the wearer will rest high onthe cheekbones. This provides a comfortable and inconspicuouspositioning of the cannula.

The ring or slide 10 can be adjusted in any suitable position along withthe tubes 4 and 6 to provide freedom of movement of the jaw and head ofthe wearer. Advantageously, the plastic rings 10 and 24 may be cut fromplastic tubing compounded from flexible plastic material identical withor similar to that used to form extruded tubes 4 and 6. Alternatively,the rings 10 and 24 could be molded or otherwise shaped from flexible orrigid plastic material, rubber or the like. It is advantageous, however,to have ring 24 made of substantially the same material as tubes 4 and 6so that good connection can be made between them at the bends in tubes 4and 6 by means of solvent welding, cementing or the like. Plasticizedvinyl chloride polymer is a preferred material from which to fabricatetubes 4 and 6 and rings 10 and 24, but other flexible thermoplastics canbe used, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene and the like.

The tubing connector 8 is preferably injection molded from rigid plasticmaterial to have a male connector 32 at one end and a pair of tubingsockets 34 and 36 at the other end into which the inlet ends 38 and 40of tubes 4 and 6 respectively are fitted and, preferably, cemented.Nylon, polycarbonate resin, polystyrene or the like are suitablethermoplastics from which to mold the tubing connector.

In use, a nasal cannula of the invention can be positioned on the headof a wearer as shown in W68. 1 and 2. When so used, the nares tubes 4and 6 pass across the side of the face, over the ears and then downbelow the jaw and in front of the throat of the wearer. The tubingconnector 8 will be joined to a single gas conveying tube which in turnwill be connected to a source of oxygen or other gas required for thetreatment or medical procedure being applied to the wearer of thecannula. In an alternative method of positioning a cannula on the headof the patient, the pair of nares tubes can pass over the ears to theback of the head of the wearer. In this case, the ring or band 10 willbe moved along the tubes 4 and 6 to the back of the head of the wearer.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or rightis claimed are defined as follows:

ll. A nasal cannula comprising a pair of narine tubes made of flexibleplasticized vinyl chloride polymer comprising inlet and outlet ends,said tubes being fitted at their inlet ends to a tubing connector moldedof rigid plastic material having a male connector member on one end anda pair of sockets on the other end into which the inlet ends of saidnarine tubes are fixed, the periphery of the outlet end of each tube ofsaid pair being smoothly rounded, one of said tubes being permanentlybent a short distance from said outlet end at an acute angle to thelongitudinal axis of the tube forming a first nares insertion member,the other of said tubes being similarly bent at its outlet end forming asecond nares insertion member, said tubes being fixed together incross-over arrangement at the position of said permanent bends by a ringof plastic material that encircles said tubes at said position, saidring being cemented to both said tubes with said ring and said insertionmembers substantially parallel to each other and a plastic ring thatslidably encircles said pair of tubes between said tubing connector andsaid fixed together position.

2. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opening of theoutlet end of each of said tubes is flared.

3. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and secondnares insertion members extend outwardly at an angle between about 35and 45 relative to the plane defined by the longitudinal axis of saidtubes proximal to the bends in said tubes.

4. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1 wherein said periphery of theoutlet end of each tube defines a plane that is at an angle to the boreof the tube.

1. A nasal cannula comprising a pair of narine tubes made of flexibleplasticized vinyl chloride polymer comprising inlet and outlet ends,said tubes being fitted at their inlet ends to a tubing connector moldedof rigid plastic material having a male connector member on one end anda pair of sockets on the other end into which the inlet ends of saidnarine tubes are fixed, the periphery of the outlet end of each tube ofsaid pair being smoothly rounded, one of said tubes being permanentlybent a short distance from said outlet end at an acute angle to thelongitudinal axis of the tube forming a first nares insertion member,the other of said tubes being similarly bent at its outlet end forming asecond nares insertion member, said tubes being fixed together incross-over arrangement at the position of said permanent bends by a ringof plastic material that encircles said tubes at said position, saidring being cemented to both said tubes with said ring and said insertionmembers substantially parallel to each other and a plastic ring thatslidably encircles said pair of tubes between said tubing connector andsaid fixed together position.
 2. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1wherein the opening of the outlet end of each of said tubes is flared.3. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and secondnares insertion members extend outwardly at an angle between about 35*and 45* relative to the plane defined by the longitudinal axis of saidtubes proximal to the bends in said tubes.
 4. A nasal cannula as claimedin claim 1 wherein said periphery of the outlet end of each tube definesa plane that is at an angle to the bore of the tube.